City looses a piece of it's history

Passing of former Mayor Richard Girouard felt far and wide

STORY BY DIANE C. BEAUDOIN

Even though he did not reside in the area for the last several years, former Mayor Richard Girouard's legacy can still be seen and felt today. Mr. Girouard passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at his home in California, on August 22, 2009.

Mr. Girouard's daughter Dona Omanoff, who resides in Florida spoke by telephone about her dad's life, and the impact he had not only on the city, but on his entire family.

"He was a true Renaissance man, " Dona began.

"One thing I will always say about my dad is he was such a big influence on my life. He was creative, a great writer, and loved learning. He always taught us to do the best we can with whatever we are doing," she said.

Dona spoke of her father's ability to create ways for people to solve problems instead of spending time arguing about issues.

"He didn't like to argue, he was great at calibrating with people to work together to solve an issue. He always found common ground with everyone, which led to solving problems instead of making them worse," she said.

Reflections of Mayor Richard Girouard PHOTOS CURTESY OF THE GIROUARD FAMILY Some of the accomplishments of Mr. Girouard's three terms as mayor include having a new sewer plant built to get the city out of receivership, constructing the first recycling plant in Massachusetts to replace the old landfill, got the first community garden up and running, and seeing the construction of the senior center on Rockwell Pond.

He also breathed new life into Imperial Auto Body, located on Viscoloid Avenue.

Mr. Girouard's wife Carole had been his caretaker in recent years, and was married to Richard for 55 years.

"We met at Spec Pond, and I knew he was the one," Carole recalled.

She said her husband's commitment to the city was strong, and started at an early age.

"Richie was motivated by former mayor Laurie Cormier, who lived just a few doors up from Richie's family. Mr. Cormier's family was very involved in the campaign for President John F. Kennedy, and Richie was inspired by all of that. He was inspired to aspire," she said.

Carole also spoke very highly of her husband's peace making skills, and over the years how the city benefited from his calm demeanor.

"If I was at

a meeting, I'd probably be the first to give my opinion. Richie would let everyone else give their opinions without saying a word. I recall at one council meeting in particular that his approach to issues was very different than mine. He would formulate his opinions with many different points of view, and I believe there was a lot of wisdom in that. That is how he got people to work together," she added.

Carole continued, " Richie was not one to grab the headlines. His goal was to get solutions, which he did. He always was a peacemaker during his terms on the city council and also as mayor. He never was argumentative," she added.

The family encourages everyone to visit legacy.com to read more about Mr. Girouard's life, and to add any comments or memories about his life.

"My father was a wonderful man, a true gentleman," Dona said.

She attributes her love of the arts to her father, as that was such a big part of his life.

"He loved to write, paint, compose

and loved music. He got great pleasure from this part of his life," Dona said.